Western Tailed-Blue
Cupido amyntula (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Narrow tail on hindwing. Upperside of male blue, female brown with blue at wing base. Underside white with black spots indistinct or lacking; single small orange spot near tail.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males patrol and perch during the day. Females lay eggs on flowers or young seedpods of host plant. Caterpillars eat young seeds inside the pod, where they overwinter and pupate.
Flight: March-July. Several broods in southern California, a partial second brood in the southern Rocky Mountains, and one brood elsewhere.
Caterpillar Hosts: Legumes with inflated pods including false lupine (Thermopsis), milkvetch (Astragalus), crazyweed (Oxytropis), and vetches (Vicia and Lathyrus).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open - usually native - areas with low shrubs including chaparral, meadows, and open woodland.
Range: Alaska south through western North America and all western mountains to northern Baja California, east across Canada's prairie provinces to northern Michigan, Ontario, and the Gaspé Peninsula.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Alternate Scientific Names:
Everes amyntula
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 623 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 02, 2020
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 06, 2020
Observation date: Oct 16, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 28, 2020
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 27, 2020
Observation date: Jan 19, 2020
Submitted by: carrotpeople
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 20, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2012
Submitted by: Josiah Gilbert
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 14, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: May 30, 2019
Submitted by: alyssa_d
Region: Deschutes County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 06, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2019
Submitted by: Jon Kindschy
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jul 12, 2019
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 08, 2019
Observation date: May 12, 2019
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 31, 2019
Observation date: Mar 15, 2019
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 19, 2019
Observation date: Mar 13, 2019
Submitted by: Luke Schwartzkopf
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 13, 2019
Observation date: Apr 01, 2019
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Apr 02, 2019
Observation date: Mar 24, 2019
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 25, 2019
Observation date: Jun 23, 2008
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 21, 2018
Observation date: May 17, 2018
Submitted by: Tim Shortell
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Dec 18, 2018
Observation date: May 30, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: Ken Dies
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jun 09, 2018
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jun 15, 2018
Submitted by: RobertWeeden
Region: Fairbanks North Star, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jun 25, 2018
Submitted by: JKlodzen
Region: North Slope, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jun 03, 2018
Submitted by: b.cn.u
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
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